In an attempt to foil the National Citizen Party’s (NCP) “16 July: March to Gopalganj” program, brutal attacks were carried out from multiple directions.
Banned Chhatra League president Saddam Hossain went live on Facebook, issuing direct attack orders as Sheikh Hasina reportedly instructed leaders via phone to stop the NCP rally in Gopalganj at any cost.
She reportedly gave direct instructions via mobile phone to banned leaders and activists of Chhatra League and Awami League in Gopalganj, ordering that “no one from NCP should return alive.”
One of the key figures in this operation was Saddam Hossain, the president of the banned Chhatra League, who is in hiding in India. He appeared on a Facebook Live, openly instructing ground-level activists to launch violent attacks on the NCP’s rally.
Audio messages obtained by Jugantor reveal Sheikh Hasina telling her loyalists:
“They’re coming to Gopalganj. They’ve already announced plans to destroy my father’s grave in Tungipara, just like they demolished the house at 32 Dhanmondi. Don’t sit idle. Do whatever it takes. Make sure no one from them leaves Gopalganj unharmed.”
On the morning of the rally, under the leadership of banned Chhatra League General Secretary Ataur Rahman Pial, police vehicles were attacked, vandalized, and set on fire in the Char Durgapur area. The ruling party’s actions made it clear they were set on disrupting NCP’s peaceful rally. Later, under Pial’s command, NCP’s convoy was hit with multiple rounds of gunfire and bomb attacks.
Further investigation revealed that not only was the banned Chhatra League involved, but Sheikh Hasina also personally spoke with leaders from Awami League, Jubo League, Swechchhasebak League, Sramik League, Krishak League, and Mohila Awami League, instructing each of them to block NCP’s entry and eliminate their top leadership if necessary.
Coordinating the attacks from abroad were top Awami League leaders:
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Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim (Hasina’s cousin, former MP of Gopalganj-2) from Kolkata,
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Abdur Rahman (former minister and MP of Faridpur-1) from London,
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Iqbal Hossain Apu (central committee member and former MP of Shariatpur-1),
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Mahbub Ali Khan (President of Gopalganj Awami League),
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Shafiqul Alam Kajol (Organizing Secretary of Gopalganj AL).
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Saddam Hossain, the banned central Chhatra League president, mobilized activists hiding across surrounding districts. From his hideout in Kolkata, he went live on Facebook to direct his men to attack the NCP.
At the local level, Yasmin Alam, wife of Shafiqul Alam Kajol and a leader of the district Mohila Awami League, organized female activists. She was later arrested by police on Tuesday evening.
The NCP has been conducting its “July March to Rebuild the Nation” since July 1. Having already held events in several districts, Gopalganj was scheduled for July 16, followed by another in Jazira, Shariatpur. The program was announced on the party’s verified Facebook page just a day before the attacks.
However, due to Sheikh Hasina’s direct instructions and coordinated terrorist attacks, the event was violently disrupted and failed to proceed.
This incident starkly reveals that political repression and violence are still deeply rooted in the country, where even peaceful democratic movements face brutal suppression.
